Background Podoconiosis is a non-infectious neglected tropical disease caused by long-term exposure to irritant volcanic soils. It results in severe physical, psychological and financial consequences. Heart and Sole Africa (HASA) is a non-governmental, community-based organization providing management to podoconiosis patients in Rwanda. We sought to analyze the impact of their program on the lives of patients. Methods Quantitative surveys recorded the participants’ demographics, adherence to HASA's management recommendations and changes in quality of life (QOL). Qualitative questions were used to gather respondent perspectives on HASA programming. Results We interviewed 127 patients from HASA's Musanze (n=47) and Burera (n=80) clinics. Almost all participants (98.4%) reported statistically significant (p<0.01) improvements in their QOL, and more than one-half (51.2%) had a favorable adherence score of >80%. Qualitative feedback identified specific challenges to adherence and recognition of program success in symptom management. Conclusions Our study demonstrated the value of community-based podoconiosis programming in improving the lives of patients. Practices such as regular feet washing, emollient application, shoe wearing and limb raising can result in a marked reduction of morbidity. Our findings support the argument for scaling up these management practices across Rwanda.

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“我们不再经历同样的痛苦”：一项评估 Heart and Sole Africa 脚足病预防教育计划影响的横断面研究

背景 脚足病是一种被忽视的非传染性热带疾病，由长期暴露于刺激性火山土壤引起。它会导致严重的身体、心理和经济后果。Heart and Sole Africa (HASA) 是一个以社区为基础的非政府组织，为卢旺达的脚足病患者提供治疗。我们试图分析他们的计划对患者生活的影响。方法 定量调查记录了参与者的人口统计数据、对 HASA 管理建议的遵守情况以及生活质量 (QOL) 的变化。使用定性问题来收集受访者对 HASA 规划的看法。结果 我们采访了来自 HASA Musanze (n=47) 和 Burera (n=80) 诊所的 127 名患者。几乎所有参与者 (98.4%) 的生活质量都有显着改善 (p<0.01)，超过一半 (51.2%) 的依从性得分超过 80%。定性反馈确定了症状管理中坚持和认可计划成功的具体挑战。结论 我们的研究证明了基于社区的足病规划在改善患者生活方面的价值。定期洗脚、涂抹润肤剂、穿鞋和抬高肢体等做法可以显着降低发病率。我们的研究结果支持了在卢旺达推广这些管理实践的论点。